Tokyo Gas operates a high-pressure natural gas pipeline network spanning approximately 300 km from its Sodegaura LNG terminal. The network includes multiple pressure control valve (PCV) stations at Sodegaura, Kitano, and Souka. When a new pipeline segment and PCV were added at the Souka station, engineers faced a critical question: would the new valve interact with existing controls in ways that could cause pressure instability, flow imbalance, or unsafe conditions during start-up and emergency scenarios?
Manual on-site PID tuning was not a viable option. The operational and safety risk was too high.
How CHEMCAD dynamic simulation was used to model a full 300 km high-pressure gas pipeline network with multiple active PCV stations
How the Internal Model Control (IMC) method was applied within CHEMCAD to calculate optimized PID parameters before plant commissioning
How simulated results were validated against actual operational data, including pressure, flow rate, and valve opening behavior
How the model predicted and confirmed minimal interaction between the new Souka PCV and existing pressure control valves under normal and emergency operating conditions
How pre-commissioning simulation reduced on-site tuning time and operational risk
Dynamic simulation matched actual plant data after initial transient conditions, confirming model accuracy
Pressure stability was maintained across the entire 300 km network during normal operation
Simulated emergency scenarios (including Sodegaura PCV closure) confirmed automatic compensation by remaining valves
PID parameters were calculated and verified in simulation before any live testing, reducing commissioning risk
Product: CHEMCAD
Industry: LNG / Natural Gas
Region: Japan
Application: Dynamic simulation, PID optimization, pipeline control validation
Key Methodology: IMC-based PID tuning, transient simulation, model validation against operational data